Chapter Text
Legundo was in his house, checking to see if he had everything he’d need for the day before heading out. Vampires were real. Vampires were real and Avid had been right. He sighed. Now was not the time to dwell on that. He needed to prepare to go out and consecrate some-
Knock. Who was knocking at his door? Was it a Vampire? He took a breath. He couldn't afford the cost of paranoia. “Who is it?” He called, heading over to his door.
“Can I come in?” Ah, Abolish. There was an odd cadence to their voice that wasn’t usually there. Could they have been turned? Okay, calm down, Legs, get yourself together. Abolish was the least likely person to let themselves get turned.
Legundo opened the door. Abolish stood there, looking like they normally did. Same suit, tie, hair, gloves… the only difference was the eyes—which had some inexplicable emotion roiling in them—and their posture—which was more lax than usual.
“Are you okay, Abolish?” Legs stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in. Paranoia cost lives, and there was no real reason to suspect Abolish of anything. They may need help. They stepped inside, seeming slightly off balance, and stood leaning against a wall. Since when did they lean?
“Yeah, I just have this weird…” They trailed off, trying to find the word. “Headache, you could call it.” Legundo hummed.
“What do you mean ‘weird’?” The Doctor asked.
“Like… quicksand,” were the only words Abolish gave in response. What did that mean? Legs was starting to question just how ‘okay’ they were.
“‘Quicksand’?” Legundo echoed, trying to give Abolish the chance to explain themselves.
“I’ stuck. Moving… slowly. And words are hard to… grasp, I guess.” Slurred words, slow thoughts, off balance… Could it be a concussion? Hm…
“How aware are you of your surroundings?” He asked. He needed full confirmation.
“Everyf- thing. Everything is cotton fluff. But you, me, and… d- this house. Room. The room.” What was up with Abolish? Sure, they didn’t speak much, but Legundo was sure they could string together full sentences before. Not to mention the odd accent.
“Do you remember anything from before this ‘headache’?”
Abolish thought for a moment, staring at seemingly nothing. They definitely checked the boxes for confusion, dizziness, headaches, and concentration issues. “I wa- rather not. Seem too… big.” There was an uncanny amount of emotion in Abolish’s voice. The most Legs had ever heard of their emotions were mentions of anxiety in small, dark places and annoyance. This sounded like they were on the verge of tears.
“Did you hit your head or fall recently?” Legundo asked. He had to make sure.
“N-no. I’ fine.” Abolish didn’t sound very fine. They sounded and acted so far from their usual self. They sounded so emotional, and now they were hunched over slightly, playing with their thumbs. They looked like a scared wolf cub trying to hide from a predator.
“I need to ask again: are you okay? Tell the truth.”
“No. I’ sca’ed. I’ wonewy. No wan’ be hewe. Yo’we doctew. He’p me.” [No. I’m scared. I don’t wanna be here. You’re a doctor. Help me.] They moved off the wall, and, despite the fact that Abolish was only a handful of centimetres shorter than Legs, they seemed so small. It was something about the way they carried themselves, clinging to the Doc like he was a lifeline, maybe it was the softness of their speech, but they seemed almost childlike.
Legundo felt a wet patch at the shoulder of his robe and realised. Abolish was crying. “Abolish. What’s wrong?” He asked. Something had to be very wrong for Abolish to be brought to tears.
“Wan’ hug. Wan’ Mowcan’. Dada know’ how make fear go away,” Abolish huffed out between sobs. The only words Legs could really make out were ‘hug’, ‘dada’, and ‘fear’. What the hell was happening?
“What do you need?” Legundo asked awkwardly.
“Dada. Hug.” Legundo was pretty sure Abolish was an orphan. What the hell did they mean ‘dada’?
“A… hug?” Abolish nodded weakly, still sniffling, and Legs awkwardly placed his arms around them. Abolish almost instantly softened, leaning all their weight onto the Doctor. Legs nearly fell back, but it was mostly out of shock. Abolish was surprisingly light. Also, again, what the hell was going on?
Abolish sighed. “Leg’ safe. You hug nice.” Despite his confusion and fear, Legundo couldn't help but feel slightly warm at that. Clearly, Abolish wasn’t okay at all, considering they’d never shown much emotion or even care before this, but everything seemed genuine. Like they truly believed everything they were saying. Legundo wasn’t safe. He’d killed. He’d hurt so many people. So why, why, did Abolish seem to trust him so much? It was too much.